The St. Joseph Police Department works to invest in youth with programs throughout the year and is hoping to implement a mentorship program soon.

“We’re really trying to invest in our youth and that’s something that we see as the future of our community,” said St. Joseph Police Chief Chris Connally. “We’re in our strategic planning process, we had a lot of feedback with interest in seeing that involvement as well. We feel like the more we can have an impact, the more we can development a relationship, the stronger that makes the community and, particularly at-risk kids, hopefully we can have a positive influence and help them go a positive direction.”

A recent event the department put on was a picnic at the Bartlett Center and upcoming events include the yearly Cops Care Camp and a new Junior Police Academy.

Connally said they are in the planning stages of implementing a mentoring program for older at risk youth.

“We’re already planning on seeing how we can interact with the 15 to 18 year-olds, hope to get them exposed to career opportunities that are available in the community, work with them on everything from interview skills to… how to tie a tie, things to that nature,” Connally said. “Some of our kids in the community don’t always get that mentoring… so if we can do that, and we can help some of them be more successful or create a relationship when they have a challenge in their life, that they can come to us and we can refer them somewhere or help them directly, I think that’s something we really need in the community.”

For more information about the St. Joseph Police Department’s youth programs or school resource officers, click here, or visit the department’s Facebook page.